The Darth Maul Game That Could Have Been

It looks like there was a Star Wars game in production before Lucas Arts was sold off that could have rivaled the much anticipated bounty hunter adventure, Star Wars: 1313. I was reading an article on GameInformer yesterday about such a game that had been being developed at Red Fly studios that focuses on one of Star Wars' most badass characters, Darth Maul. Yeah just let that sink in for a moment. I know, it's incredibly depressing because this looks like it truly had potential to be an awesome game worthy of Darth Maul and we won't ever get to play it. You can see some gameplay for yourself in the video below, courtesy of GameInformer.

What's even more surprising is this is all prototype and concept stage material. (I posted some concept art below) Red Fly didn't have a script or a clear idea of where they were going with this game. I feel that doesn't even matter though, just looking at how beautiful Maul looks slashing through Mandalorians with that double bladed lightsaber feels so satisfying. There would be no shortage of possible plot-lines the studio could have chosen to follow as well and with a team of writers, a script would have been a cinch. While I would have preferred an origin type story line that takes place before Maul's appearance in Phantom Menace, I wouldn't mind taking control of a cyborg Maul as he rises from the ashes.

This Twi'lek appears here and in the art above. She may have been some kind of companion

Unfortunately, since Disney's acquisition of Lucas Arts, we may never see games featuring Darth Maul or something similar to Star Wars: 1313. EA still holds the rights to Lucas Arts video game properties though and Battlefront III is definitely a step in the right direction. Hopefully they step up their game and take cues from concepts like this in the future. Check out some of the concept art below (again, courtesy of GameInformer) and feel free to let me know just how bad you would have loved to play this game.

It looks like Red Fly was planning a story after Phantom Menace due to the robotic legs

Dead Space 3 announcement and trailer

During their press conference, EA games was happy to share some stunning footage of Dead Space 3 which confirmed that the game will feature a co-op game mode. Isaac will no longer dismember necromorphs all by his lonesome but instead he will be accompanied by a man wearing similar armor by the name of, John carver. In a trailer featuring a montage of necromorph kills and co-op action, Carver reveals he is after the markers, like Isaac and will stop at nothing to destroy them. With similar interests in mind, it seems the two of them will be teaming up to bring an end to Unitology and the necromorphs.

It wasn't clear whether or not Carver will accompany Isaac throughout the entire game but the drop-in, drop-out cooperative play implies that it is very likely. If this is true, it will be the first time Isaac ever has a partner for more than a chapter or two. The addition of Carver will no doubt add an interesting mix into the horror filled combat and hopefully won't detract from Dead Space's usual spine-tingling, survival horror theme which the series has always executed so well. Boss battles can be approached in new ways such as one player focusing on shooting weak points on a giant brute while the other player takes out necromorphs descending on the pair of you. Players will likely be able to share weapons, ammo and health supplies but must also collect enough of these provisions to support each of themselves.

The gameplay trailer also reveals that necromorphs won't be the only enemy the duo faces off against. After Isaac and Carver destroy a large out of control drill and kill some necromorphs, they head outside and engage in a firefight with what appear to be Unitologists or soldiers from EarthGov. Isaac and Carver maneuver behind some boxes, dodging pulse rifle shots by crouching and rolling and firing back at the group of enemies. The shootout is interrupted by a giant insect-like necromorph which begins swallowing everything in sight.

After a brief fight with the monster, Isaac gets a little too close and is swallowed by the giant necromorph. The screen fades to black and the crowd at the conference cheers as the trailer has seemingly ended but then the eerie green glow of Isaac's visor illuminates the inside of the monster's gullet revealing he is in the process of being digested alive.

Dead Space 3 looks great so far and with an all new setting, enemies, weapons and characters it is sure to deliver the best Dead Space experience yet. Expect to see Dead Space 3 on store shelves sometime in February of 2013 and check out the trailers below.